Getting a taste of Asian life

A 27-day trip to Eastern Asia was more than enough to convince members of the Costa Mesa-based All-American Boys Chorus that China, Malaysia and Singapore are not America.

For one thing, it might be difficult to find a delectable fish head curry — a dish that a few of the choristers tried in Malaysia — at South Coast Plaza. In the country, Thomas Sweeney, 13, of Newport Beach and Daniel Neff, 11, of Costa Mesa stayed with a host family that told them the head was the most flavorful part of the fish.

Surprisingly, they agreed.

“It was very good,” Thomas said.

While touring the region, the group played to some packed houses, according to Director Tony Manrique. Even the U.S. ambassador to Malaysia made it to one of the performances, talking with the kids afterward.

“It’s kind of nice, when you’re far away from home, to know that someone like that knows you’re there,” Manrique said.

One of the elements of the trip the leaders didn’t get to experience was staying with the locals in their homes. Manrique and his fellow chaperons stayed in hotels, while some of the kids had pretty incredible accommodations.

A family in Kuala Lumpur had a 20th-story penthouse with an aviary and a live-in Buddhist monk.

At some concerts, the choir members were treated like celebrities, Manrique said. They were given standing ovations and asked to sit in the lobby and sign autographs for lines of fans after a few of the shows.

“I had never signed an autograph before, and I signed so many on the trip,” Daniel said.

The boys also learned valuable lessons about shopping at foreign markets, such as the power of collective bargaining. By the end of the trip, some were expert shoppers, walking into stores in groups, picking up a bunch of items and asking for a deal on the total price.

“My favorite thing there was to shop. I like to bargain,” Daniel said.

The opening day of the Olympics was the choir’s last day in China, and as the kids awaited their flight home, they watched the ceremonies on TV. All returned safely, with no major injuries or sicknesses, but everyone had some serious jet lag.

ALAN BLANK may be reached at (714) 966-4623 or at alan.blank@latimes.com.